Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 2013, volume 31, pages 134 – 153 doi:10.1068/c11134 Mainstreaming climate policy: the case of climate adaptation and the implementation of EU water policy Stijn Brouwer Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; e‑mail: stijnbrouwer@gmail.com Tim Rayner Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, England; e‑mail: tim.rayner@uea.ac.uk Dave Huitema Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, and School of Sciences, Netherlands Open University, PO Box 2960, 6401DL Heerlen, The Netherlands; e‑mail: dave.huitema@ivm.vu.nl Received 13 May 2011; in revised form 22 February 2012 Abstract. Despite the fact that mainstreaming of climate change into existing EU sectoral policies is a key aim, empirical knowledge of how it works in practice remains scarce. With this paper we explore the degree to which climate considerations are taken into account in the implementation of one of the most infuential pieces of European water legislation, the Water Framework Directive and, more importantly, we assess possible explanations for the geographical variability in levels of mainstreaming observed. Our empirical research is based on an analysis of both EU and local policy documents, as well as more than forty in-depth interviews, and shows that, for various reasons, the degree of mainstreaming that has taken place difers widely. We conclude that timely incentives and clear guidance will be necessary to ensure progress is made by all, but that a residual fear that the adaptation agenda is open to abuse by those seeking to rationalise failures to fully implement the Water Framework Directive has put a brake on the mainstreaming agenda. Keywords: adaptation, Catalonia, climate change, European Union, EU Water Framework Directive, Italy, mainstreaming, Poland, Scotland, Sweden 1 Introduction Even in the very unlikely event that greenhouse gas emissions were to cease entirely today, inertia in the climate system is such that a range of negative impacts would still occur. This simple fact, coupled with doubts about the possibilities of swift international progress on mitigation, has led to widespread acknowledgment that adaptation to climate impacts is a key ingredient of any national or international policy to address climate change (see, for instance, Jordan et al, 2010; Keskitalo, 2010). In the European Union (EU), whereas initial emphasis was very much on mitigation, with the publication of dedicated green (EC, 2007) and white papers (EC, 2009a), the European Commission (EC) has relatively recently become active in the feld of adaptation as well. Among the four ‘pillars’ constituting its adaptation strategy, perhaps the most prominent is that policies should be reviewed to see how they could be “re‑focused or amended” (page 8) to facilitate adaptation in the light of climate impacts, in a process described as ‘mainstreaming’. The white paper refects acknowledgment that while adaptation is to a large extent a matter for local‑level actors and member states, the EU should take responsibility for policy areas where it has competence and take steps to ensure the viability of EU‑funded infrastructure investments in a changing climate.